Sweet Citrus
by LittleLane
Summary: Before Natsume or even Mikan, at the time when Narumi and Yuka went to school, there was a very plain girl. She was hidden away by her mother- but when her Alice was exposed and she was sent away to Gakuen Alice- what will become of her?


_Fraise pressed her ear to the door frame of her room, straining to hear even the slightest bit of the conversation between her mother and the strange visitor. It was useless, because even if she could hear she would not be able to understand one thing. The Visitor and her mother were speaking Japanese. English was the only language she knew, even though her Mother's side of the family was Japanese. She never bothered to learn her Mother's native tongue- but now she wished she did more than ever. _

_Her mother sounded worried, and her voice was quivering. It made Fraise shiver as ideas went through her mind on what they were talking about. She forced her face away from her door and turned around so she was lying with her back against the thin wood and her legs sprawled in front of her. _

_It was just a typical Thursday before the strange visitor showed up at the door. Fraise had just got back from high school when the visitor drove up in a sporty looking car. It still stuck her as amazing when the visitor climbed out of the car drenched with the smell of expensive perfume and clad in a tight business suit. When Fraise's mother saw the visitor Fraise was shunned to her room in a minute. The young girl was certain that the visitor was not expected, but she was also sure that her mother knew why the visitor was there._

_Something stirred behind Fraise and the next thing she knew the door behind her opened and she fell backwards into the hallway where the visitor and her mother were. She blinked ahead of her and saw the two staring down at her and a second later she was stooping up to a standing position. Fraise grinned and laughed a bit, while her face deepened a dark and noticeable red against her already rosy skin. _

_"She is shorter than I expected. I thought her father was tall so- well never mind." The visitor spoke while pursing her thin lips together. Her English was hard to understand because the girl spoke so fast and had a thick accent. Even though she was inside the visitor had a large sun hat on that was smothering her short curly white hair. Fraise almost gaped at the visitor's face though. It was perfect! Her pale white skin was a stranger to wrinkles or blemishes of any kind. "Close your mouth and straighten up girl. You could pass off as a freeloader in that position. How old are you?"_

_Fraise clamped shut her mouth in an instant. She had no idea it was even open. As she stepped into place, she thought bitterly that this woman acted like a grumpy old bat- but held her tongue and only spoke when the question was prompted. "I am sixteen."_

_The visitor narrowed her eyes at Fraise and licked her lips slowly. "I am sixteen Miss. What an impolite girl. She needs to respect me. " She corrected with a bitter grin. "If she does go to Gakuen Alice she will have to learn __teineigo. Does she know any?" The visitor turned her head to direct her question at Fraise's Mom who was white as a sheet._

_Fraise turned towards her mother as well, ignoring the visitor to avoid any more lectures. "Hey, Mom? What's teinego? Is that a language? What is Gakuen Alice? Am I joining a club?" She asked while reaching out to touch her mom's dress._

_Much to Fraise's disappointment, her hand was slapped away by the visitor, whom lightly grabbed her sundress and turned the teenager to face her. "Do not speak unless spoken to! Goodness, what a horrific child Momiji-shi! And she looks nothing like her father either- bless that. There wasn't a pretty thing about him. Actually, he seemed scary, with those yellow eyes- oh!" Fraise scrunched her face as the visitor took her other hand and placed it on her forehead, pulling her golden bangs back. "She got those. What an unlucky girl. Not pretty or polite." The visitor removed her hand, letting Fraise's bangs fall back into place just above her eyebrows. Momiji, Fraise's mother, burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably into the palms of her hands. _

_Fraise was stunned; no one had ever been so disrespectful to her right in front of her face like this! She knew this was not a battle to win though, and kept silent. If she had low self confidence, it may have bothered her, but Fraise was so use to her body it did not bother her. She thought her strawberry blonde hair was beautiful, and she cropped it so it curled all around her small face just perfectly. Her rosy skin covered her five foot body, and even though her body wasn't exactly curvy she did not mind. She was a bit skinny, and sometimes a side effect to that is to not have many curves. That body of hers got her the nickname of "bogie board," for being short and flat apparently. The name stuck, but it did not matter much. Fraise has a tendency to get on people's good side for some reason, so the only people that still call her that mean no insult behind it. Fraise actually thinks it is a bit cute. Her eyes were horrid though. Everyone agreed with her- that Fraise had frightening yellow eyes that made her look strange. Actually, her eyes are mistaken as yellow because they are simply bright amber toned- a trait she obtained from her father._

_The visitor ignored Momiji's crying and used the hand on Fraise's dress to navigate the young girl a few feet away. "I know I should not speak, but I want to find out why my Mom is sad. Your presence is worrying me." Fraise spoke, skipping over her words and stumbling slightly. She was trying her best to side polite, but it leaked out of her lips awkwardly. _

_For a second the visitor looked as if she wanted to discipline Fraise again, but she changed her mind and squatted so she was face to face with her. "Fraise do you want me to like you? Even for a second? After the way I treated you- you must want me to like you right? That way I will stop insulting you. Do you want to try making me like you?" She asked. Fraise blinked in surprise, and nodded to avoid speaking out of term. "You can make other people like you easily right? Try me." The visitor continued while urging Fraise by tugging on her dress again._

_Fraise squished her face together in thought. It was strange that the visitor changed her mood suddenly- and asked something so weird! She had social skills, a charm about herself that made her able to get people to like her a lot- or at least that is what Fraise thought. Growing up, sometimes she can charm people and other times she could not, but it became easier to do as she got older. How would this woman know that though? It is not like Fraise's charisma was well known. She sighed a bit, and decided to try to make the old hag like her- it wouldn't hurt to try._

_Momiji whined and stepped between her daughter and the visitor, shaking her head franticly. "No no she can't do anything like that. What are you talking about? She can't! Don't!" She squealed, sounding as if she was about to throw a tantrum. _

_Fraise scooted past her mom to the visitor, while sliding her hand down her mom's back. "I think she will leave after I do this- so calm down Mom." Fraise spoke with a smile. Her mother turned violently and reached out to stop her daughter but it was too late._

_Fraise put her hand on the visitor's shoulder and slid it to her neck lightly while leaning her face close and turned it so she did not breathe on the visitor's face. "Your appearance here was a fortune on us, but my mother is upset. I must ask you to make your leave soon." She said while flashing a toothy smile._

_The visitor's reaction was just like anyone else's whom she tried to make like her. Her cheeks flushed and her lips parted, as if pleasantly surprised. It was a surprise to Fraise, however, when the visitor then jerked back and waved her hand in front of her face, her sun hat tumbling off her head and her chest heaving in her tight suit. "That was close. Well, your efforts were futile Momigi-shi. This girl did inherit her father's Alice. I would classify it as a __Somatic Type- or Human Pheromone. Intermittent, by the amount of power this girl can use. She is going to Gakuen Alice just like her father." The visitor panted a bit and took a hankie out of her pocket and patted the sheen of sweat off her face so that her white curls would stop sticking to her forehead. _

_Momiji screeched and fell on her knees, bawling. Fraise looked back at her mother in surprise. Her mother was trying to make sure she did not try to use her charisma skills because then she would be sent away if she did? Was it all her fault?_

Fraise still replayed that Thursday in her mind, even five days later on a Tuesday when she stood outside a gate three times her size. The nameplate was Japanese, but she guessed it read Gakuen Alice. A security guard opened the gates and pointed silently in the direction she guessed she had to go, and she stamped that way; dragging a miniature yellow suitcase behind her. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand and yawned. It was the afternoon, but she still was not use to the change in time from transferring to a school all the way in Japan. Her only regret about leaving was that her mother was so far away- which she found ironic. She was in her mother's homeland- but the farthest away she had ever been from her mother in her life. Traveling there was simple, and she was thankful the visitor did not travel with her. She guessed that the visitor had more business in Europe and would come to Gakeun Alice later.

In the midst of her thoughts she arrived at a towering building with a peach colored outside. A young boy and girl ran out of the building right in front of her. And she blinked in surprise. They were wearing uniforms, so she guessed they went to the school.

"No! I won't give up Narumi-kun!" The girl screamed at the blonde boy following her. "This school- I don't like it! Everything is wrong! It is a prison! You can't convince me either with your pheromone Alice! You know it won't work on me because of my own!" She flew by Fraise and the blonde boy followed close behind.

"Yuka-chan! I won't try that, I know it won't work- but please listen!" The blonde boy yelled after her.

Fraise shook her head, ignoring this event and continued into the building. As soon as her foot stepped on the soft tile and she let go of the door behind her- she jumped back and slammed into the door in surprise. There was a blur in front of her, and a second later the visitor stood there, smiling weakly at Fraise. Fraise tried to calm herself, and stop her rushing heartbeat but it was no use. She just stood there- gasping uncontrollably.

"Oh- that was revenge for trying your Alice out on me and using such strong power on an old woman like me. Weird, I was all the way in France but I was able to teleport here right at the exact moment you walk in. Lucky timing?" The visitor spoke through her teeth before turning away and speaking Japanese with a faculty member that was walking by.

Fraise pushed against the door a little to get to her feet and walk forward shakily. "Did you say teleport?" She asked.

The visitor half turned to the young girl and spoke in quick Japanese, _"Hold your tongue!"_

Fraise glared at her. "I don't speak that language." The visitor snorted and turned away, finishing her chat with the teacher before turning back to Fraise. She caught her name being used in the chat, and Fraise had hoped she did not speak wrongly about her.

"You will learn Japanese." The visitor said while crouching down to be at level with Fraise. She smiled and said in Japanese, "You ugly yellow eyed girl."

Fraise nodded, and sent back a reassuring smile. She guessed that the visitor had said something kind in her language so she did not second guess it. After all, she bet that the only reason the visitor was mean before was to get Fraise in the mood to user her charisma skills. "Can you explain this place?" Fraise pleaded a bit.

The visitor's smile widened a bit. "I can teleport. You know that though right?" Fraise nodded and the visitor continued, "Well, that is called an Alice. A power If you must- like any comic book you have read or any cartoon. Stuff like that. Anyways, you can get people to like you and sometimes do what you say right?" Fraise nodded again, her eyebrows furrowing at her words. "That is your Alice. Human pheromone. This is a school for people with Alices. You will take classes with people like you as well. Those people can do all sorts of stuff."

The young girl shook her head this time, and made a face of disgust. "You are just teasing me right?" She asked and the visitor laughed.

_"You will see for yourself then."_ She spoke in Japanese while putting her hands on Fraise's shoulders and turning her away and pointing past her outside the door of the building. The teacher she was talking to before was standing there, waiting. "Follow him. He will take you to your dormitory. You will have class in the morning. After class, return to your dormitory and you will have a private class with me- on learning Japanese. Go!"

Fraise jumped forward and the stern voice of the visitor and walked out without another word. She approached the teacher, who nodded and spoke something she could not understand. She guessed it was a greeting, so she said the only thing she knew in Japanese. _"Good morning!" _The teacher's mouth twitched, holding back a laugh as Fraise could tell. Her lips pursed and she wondered what she said wrong. Didn't she say "hello?"

Her eyes widened upon remembering something and she held up her hand to the teacher with one finger to show that she needed a minute. With that, she turned on her heel and ran back into the main building and touched the visitor's hand. "Can I borrow a phone? I want to call my mom and tell her I got here all right."

The visitor shook her head. Fraise's grip tightened and she pulled the girl close, and used her _Alice _by asking again. "Why can't I use your phone?"

The woman tried to jerk away, but her face blushed deeply and her eyes glazed over while staring at Fraise. "You can send out one letter a year- but no phone calls and no visits. We also must look at your letters before they are sent. That is a rule here."

Fraise's eyes widened and the thought of that boy and girl that stormed out of the building- that girl Yuka said this place was like a prison.

_She never guessed it would be this much like one though._


End file.
